Happy healthy family from happy marital life

Marriage is a commitment of a lifetime and a relationship that has to be developed and nurtured with care and devotion.

A marriage has different stages for couples who can sail through braving the ebbs and tides that can be daunting for many. The first one or two years are of passion and romance when couples go through the honeymoon stage finding everything about each other perfect. Then comes new challenges to overcome and opportunities for growth. Living together under the same roof they start finding flaws and shortcomings in each other and want change in what they do not like. This is when adjustment and compromise come in. The partners who can communicate effectively about their likes and dislikes of certain things they don’t like, try to adjust by trying to change if they are flexible enough. Many refuse to change and each has to accept the other the way they are. This makes them compromise to maintain the relationship.

A successful relationship and love for each other will develop only when couples try to make it work handling each other and circumstances maturely and wisely. Taking care of each other, being sensitive and understanding about the feelings and emotions of their partners will evolve into a relationship of respect, love and intimacy. A marital relationship should be relaxed where partners are comfortable with each other.

Once a young couple settles down with mutual adjustment and commitment, they can start thinking about raising a family. A child can be happy only when he or she gets a happy home environment where parents love each other and devote their care and affection to the growing child. Successful happy parents can raise happy healthy kids. A child makes marital bonds even stronger. Taking care of children jointly secures the bond between a couple and years pass by as the children grow up. However, a time comes when the children grow up to be adults and leave home for higher studies or job opportunities.

As soon as the child / children leave home there is the feeling of an empty nest where the middle-aged couple has to live together. No longer is the life of the couple rosy and intimate as was in the honeymoon stage because of advanced age and maturity.

The love for each other is still there manifested in the form of care and understanding . This stage can be dealt with successfully by being involved in personal jobs as well as giving each other company, spending more time with friends and going on trips which were difficult when the children were young and needed care and attention. Mature love and respecting each other’s space will help such a couple spend the middle age happily. It’s necessary to keep the romance alive by taking interest in each other’s jobs, occasionally going out on dates, having candle light dinners, enjoying each other’s birthdays and anniversaries will keep the bond strong and romance alive.

Children are still an important part of their lives as they come home on holidays and light up their lives and hearth. The empty nest is full now for a short period of time and empty again when they leave. Children will be contented and secure when they see the relationship between parents happy and stress free.

As time passes and the middle-aged couple now steps into old age, they become more dependent on each other. Physical weakness and ailments now start bothering and each looks for the support of the other. Expectations arise in them from their children at this age and if lucky, the couple finds emotional and financial support from them. The adult children now become busy with their career and own family and cannot give much time to old and aging parents.

With love, understanding, support and compassion for each other the old couple will sail through happily for the remaining years of life.